'I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream'
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Hold me within

Avrudh's POV

I laid Sadhvi down on her back and brushed her cheeks with my knuckle.

Copper beside the bed understood the vulnerable his mommy was. He kept silent, just looked resting his head on his paws.

For someone so drunk Sadhvi was sure trying to be calm and composed. Exactly the opposite what I've witnessed others to do.

Sadhvi smile at me,
"You are the best Avrudh. The person in my life" she giggled

I smiled nonetheless of the torture

I sat beside her cross legged still smiling. I was amazed by the woman, the enchantress she was even in her hammered state managed to steal my heart, well it was her's already.

She shuddered and I sat a little more closely to her offering her my warmth and covered her with the duvet.

Sadhvi snuggled closer to my knee and continued smiling at me.
She was looking funny with puffed red eyes and white pale face.

She raised her hand in front of me, her facing me she asked me with her puffy red eyes to join hands.

I did and she interlaced our fingers. Something in my stomach set right just when.

She stared at our interlocked hands saying, "We fit just right. When I fell for you the wait felt just right. Everything now feels worthy"

I inhaled a deep breath inside.

The past two months and three weeks of us being married Sadhvi hasn't been vocal about her feelings for me; she showed it with her actions, in her gestures. And now when she was voicing it all out I was risking a heart attack.

Using our hands she pulled herself in a sitting position and the duvet got collected around her stomach. Sadhvi stared at my face, her eyes moving everywhere and finally staying with my eyes.

She tilted her side to the side and smiled at me lazily.

The drunk woman got a hold of my shoulders and straddled me within the blink of my eye.
"What are you doing?" I managed with my raspy breath. I looked down at Copper who with his tongue hanging out looked at us.

My eyes zeroed at the site where our bodies were connected, my crossed legs topped with her thighs inches away from my masculinity.

My eyes widened with some forbidden thoughts.

Sadhvi wrapped her arms around my head bringing my face closer to her chest; she held my head against her breasts and with a grin of her face held me there.

I held my breath because I was crossing-though in my head only but sure I was-the line which she had drawn between us unless our confession.

She pulled my head out after what felt like an hour, not that I was complaining. She cupped the sides of my head,

"I am in love with this forehead" she kissed me there and I closed my eyes under bliss

"I love these eyes, they sparkle everytime they look at me" she kissed both of my eyes separately

She pulled back cooing at me like a baby kissing both of my cheeks at a time, "These rough cheeks when they blush after my teasing I sure love them too"

She ran a smooth hand through my beard and then scratching it, "they feel just right under my touch, rough but the kind of rough I would love to run my palms through all day"

My hands like the mind of their own gripped her sides firmly to keep her still, she was starting to wiggle against me and the result wasn't going to be pleasant. Things are getting harder and literally at that.

Sadhvi grinned gripping my head once again closer to her chest saying, "How can I not mention this big nose of yours. I love this the most" She kissed my nose lingeringly

Sadhvi wiggled her hips in a happy move when I gripped her tight, "Aren't you cold now? Go back inside the sheets"

She smiled at me big, her droopy eyes doing a slow dance, "You are keeping me warm" before continuing "let me kiss your chin too, we wouldn't want it complaining" she kissed there too and pulling back flashed me a toothy smile

She stared into my eyes and not finding myself to let her go I held her stare.

I so want her to remember this moment we shared.

"Avrudh?" she asked in a slow voice. I saw pure raw love for me in those eyes, Copper now asleep on the rug near the bed. The lousy dog of ours he was.

I needed distraction, I was searching distraction before things get more torturous. Before they get risky more than it already was.

I tried to lay her down, my legs were asleep by now. I laid myself beside her when she snuggled herself on my chest. I wrapped both of my arms around her small frame and her top leg snaked upto my torso.

I blinked down at her drowsy self. She sure wasn't holding back the risks.

Sadhvi sighed a content sigh and patted my stomach once calling my name again, "Avrudh?" she knows I was ticklish there.

"Sadhvi" I said kissing her forehead.

I was so in love with this woman that if right this instant she is to ask for my life I would've given it for her.

All I wanted was to reside in her heart, I wanted to quench my thirst and spend my sleepless nights at peace for the rest of my life with my head resting in her arms.

"You said that I remind you of the sun, because I shine brighter than anyone in your sky?"

I looked down at her, surprised that she remembered them. I nodded, "I meant every word I said. Shine you do."

She snuggled herself in me and said, "I don't want to be the sun here, Avrudh"

I picked her chin to look at her and hear her clearly

She continued, "You are my sun Avrudh, you shine so bright... so so bright in the sky that you light up everything. Even my soul. You are the reason of my mornings"

She said with her eyes being honest, though all red and puffy but honesty is that matters.. Sadhvi buried her face in the crook of my neck and hugged my neck still remaining in my arms.

I wanted the time to stand still, so that I could record it or maybe take a picture. I wanted to capture the moment. I had attached myself to her so tight as if one that now separation felt impossible.

I was living an eternity in hours in her arms.

My heart was beating a different rhythm that I wasn't able to make a sense out of my jumbled happy thoughts.

"Avrudh?" she called in her silent voice once again and with the fail of my reply picked her head up lazily to look at me she called me again, "Avrudh?"

I looked at her face, I wanted to cry and laugh together what was that emotion I find myself trying to figure out.

"Hmm" I managed to hum realizing without my response she wasn't going to speak

"I want to be the moon. Will you let me be your moon, Avrudh?" she said inching her face inches away from mine, " I want to shine like you, I want to light up the world like you too, I want to be that other part of your sky, that is your exact reflection."

She inhaled deep saying these lines not realizing what she just confessed. What it did to my crazily beating heart.

"Your reflection which will remind everyone that even if I am existing in your temporary absence there is a part of you which is making me, me"

I stopped breathing in that moment, I wanted to do things, bold things to show her my love, to make her scream my name to the woman in my arms that will assure her of my love for her. I wanted her to feel what I was drowning with from the inside. I wanted to shower her with all my love.

My emotions were so intense at the moment that I wanted nothing but to unite myself to her so that there was no pulling apart.

The life partner I have, became my existing world, there isn't going to be any coming back from this dive and it looked like I wouldn't be wanting that either. I gave myself to her willingly the first time I held her.

Even in this drowsy state and her puffy eyes, my wife, the woman appealed to me like no other.

And now I wasn't even scared of her feelings to waver off me. She hasn't said I love you to me yet but what she said meant even deeper.

I ran my knuckle against her cheek saying, "I am honored Sadhvi, nobody has ever declared their love to me like you did"

She smiled lazily at me and her head feeling limp rested itself in neck once again.

"You honor me by accepting a man like me to be your life partner. You honor me thinking so high of myself. I couldn't help but love you even more. I love you Sadhvi more than my life"

I held her there hidden in my arms, hidden from every evil eye, hidden from any harm that might reach her.

.

.

I smiled dicing the carrots remembering my wife's words.

She, who was my sun wanted to become my moon because I was the sun in her sky. Crazy I was getting but it sure did leap my heart beats.

I was making us breakfast because she needed to eat and keep herself hydrated.

We slept the whole of the afternoon, evening and night too. I was up only when I felt hungry but Sadhvi slept like a baby under the sheets.

I grinned to myself picking up the strained vermicelli from the sink. I ran it under coldwater once again and poured some olive oil mixing it to ensure it is still un-stick, later I kept it near the burner.

I was making Vermicelli for breakfast.

Copper beside the counter was slowly enjoying licking his bowl of milk. The dog indeed was a silent one just matched our level of excitement whenever.

I was almost done with the cooking part when my wife clad in my t-shirt and boxers descended down the stairs rubbing her eyes.

She saw me and still trying to open her puffy eyes walked by the basin to splash some cold water. Within instant Copper was standing on his hind paws trying to jump into Sadhvi's arms, he sure missed her embrace.

Sadhvi wiped her eyes with the back of her hands not saying a word. Just smiled at Copper and crouched near his level to pet him, scratching his head.

I smiled at them and served us breakfast.

I kept the plates on the dining table and an embarrassed Sadhvi with a sigh opened the fridge to take out the tetra pack of fruit juice, when Copper went back to his bowl of milk.

She walked by the dining table and kept the pack there slapping her forehead she came back inside the kitchen when I showed her the glasses in my hand smiling.

She looked at my smiling face and stepped aside not making any contact with me, not even coming a feet closer to me.

We started eating in complete silence. She was silent due to her embarrassment and I should be worried about that but I was happy. Happier than I have ever been.

I looked at her openly with a smile on my face when I noticed her making glances at me for the umpteenth time since she stepped in.

She grumbled something under her breath.

For the first time Sadhvi had nothing to say because she has said her fair share
yesterday and I was enjoying the sight.

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'I want to say I read you in stories
but it's more like
I've described you in them'
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Have a happy reading and
Even happier Holi.

With love,
Ankita 🐿️